Early To Rise
by Theodore Barrington
Summary: Short Excalibur One Shot. Mostly because I've started playing Warframe again.


**Orokin Battle Cruiser Quarters**

 ** _0455 hours._**

With a dull pneumatic hiss, the automatic locks released and the cryo-pod doors opened. The Tenno known as "Excalibur" stepped out, shaking off the effects of induced cryogenic sleep in seconds. The armoured feet of his Warframe didn't make a sound as he moved down the corridor, more due to training than any concern of waking his fellow warriors. Their own pod timers were set to initiate wake up protocol at 0600 and they would not stir until then. Excalibur would use the hour afforded to him to get in a little extra training. Once the other Tenno awakened, he would train with them, but he enjoyed the time of solitude. If Lotus, the ever-present entity that guided the Tenno, disapproved or thought the practice odd, she never gave any indication, so he'd made it a daily ritual.

As squad leader, he held himself to a higher standard. Compared to the others, who could manipulate fire, electricity, air or even minds, his own abilities were mundane, so he constantly pushed himself mentally and physically so that he could stand shoulder-plate to shoulder-plate with his Tenno brethren. Entering the dojo- a stark white, seemingly infinite space, Excalibur would use the first half-hour to meditate, centring his mind and body. He didn't have the raw brute strength of Rhino, the speed and cunning of Loki, or the healing abilities of Trinity. What he had, was balance. He was equally proficient with gun and blade, equally effective at range and close quarters and his abilities equal parts offensive and defensive. Just as the Tenno who wore the mantle before him, and those that would follow.  
After exactly thirty minutes had passed, he stood, called up the armoury and selected his standard primary, sidearm and melee weapons, ready for combat training. The training program activated, the projectors randomly generating solid-light structures around him and a large segment of floor elevated him to a height of two hundred metres. A red light pulsed several times, then flashed green. Drawing his MK-1 Braton Assault rifle, Excalibur brought it up to his shoulder, at the ready. A three-dimensional silhouette of a Corpus Crewmen rounded the corner and he fired a five round burst. The sensors registered the hits and the figure dissipated with a flash. A second and third followed, and he dropped them in quick succession. Metallic footsteps singled the approach of a Railgun MOA behind him and he lunged, rolling to the side for cover as it opened fire. Swiftly moving along the projection of a wall, he emerged behind the machine and emptied the rest of his clip into it, ejecting the magazine and ramming in a fresh one before the MOA hit the floor. Two Corpus Techs moved towards him, keeping up a steady stream of fire. The blue, electrical fields surrounding them meant that he couldn't dispatch them until the hovering behind them was dealt with the Shield Osprey first. Holstering his assault rifle, Excalibur removed two kunai from the pouches strapped to his thighs. Bursting from cover, he went into a slide flinging both kunai as he went, and finished back behind cover. Drawing another two, he focused his energy, feeling it coil within him before launching himself over the wall with a Super Jump. Landing in a crouch, he tossed the blades, taking down the first of the now exposed Techs with two direct hits to the throat just beneath the faceplate. The second started shooting, but Excalibur was already moving, executing a handspring and coming up with another two kunai in hand. The Tech was still standing after receiving two kunai in the chest, but the third and fourth took it down.

Assault rifle in hand again, the Tenno sprinted over to the zip-line and jumped up, taking hold of the handgrip and launching himself off the platform. Speeding down the line, he opened fire with the MK-1 Braton in his right hand, nailing three more targets below. Dropping to the ground, he found himself surrounded by Corpus Re-holstering, he summoned his Ethereal Skana and activated Radial Blind. The projections reacted to the sudden blinding light as though they were real, recoiling and bringing their arms up in front of their faceplates. The Tenno drew his MK-1-Bo, an unusual choice for an Excalibur Warframe, which were known for their affinity for bladed weapons, but he appreciated its reach and elegant simplicity. Charging the staff, he leapt at the training targets. Excalibur was in constant motion, striking, blocking, lunging and flipping. The staff blurred as he twirled it, expertly deflecting enemy projectiles and smashing the ends into the Corpus until none were left standing. The simulation ended, and Excalibur reset it. He ran the training program as many times as he could until the other Tenno awoke and he left to join them.

The visage of Lotus materialised in his mind's eye as he walked down the corridor.

 _Tenno_ , she said, _two more of your number have been located in the Antares system, codenames: Vauban & Valkyr._ _Recovering your brethren will not be easy, Tenno, but it is vital that we bolster our forces however we can._

Excalibur, like the others, heard and understood, without question, without hesitation.

They were ready.


End file.
